The Best Medicine
by cat goddess bastet
Summary: What's the best medicine? Is it laugher or is it slaughter? A Joker/OC fanfic dedicated to Heath Ledger. May he rest in peace with a smile in his face! Please R&R! Rated T for violence and language
1. Chapter 1: Do I Have a Problem?

**The Best Medicine**

A Dark Knight-based fanfic dedicated to Heath Ledger. May he rest in peace with a smile on his face.

_Chapter One: Do I Have a Problem?_

XXX

"Hey, Joker! Who's laughing now?" I moaned, putting my hands up to my face. Blood now dripped from my nose. What a jerk. And I was almost home, too! Here's a translation for you. A punch in the face from Jake usually means a bloody nose and being called dumb names. (Hurray! I got an A in Jerkish Sign language!) I giggled and then sighed. And by the way, Joker isn't my real name. It's a nickname. My real name is Princess Cantaloupe Sparklemuffin. Not! Haha. It's actually Megan but I go by Meg.

You see, I have this weird... problem, if that's what you would call it. It's a laughing problem. Sounds stupid, right? Well it isn't. I laugh. A lot. And at the strangest moments. Like this one time, I was in class, and I laughed because of the word anonymous for forty seven minutes straight. (I should know, I counted.) Anyway, the teacher took me into the hall and was all like "blah blah disrupting blah class blah blah blah" - you know the deal – and that just made me laugh harder! It wasn't the first time that had happened, either.

I'm pretty sure it started around the time I hit puberty. 'Don't know why, I just know it happened. Almost anything can make me start to crack up, even if it's a bag full of dead kittens or something. That's why I'm called the Joker. Just like that one Super villain dude. Do you think I have a problem?

XXX

I finally got to my house. I walked up the driveway to the garage door and punched in the code to open it. 0915. My birthday. Which just so happened to be in three days. I would be turning sixteen. That's right, sweet sixteen. What a laugh. It wouldn't be very sweet, considering I belonged to a crap family. Ha. It consisted of an alcoholic father and a mother who was usually out working one of her three part-time jobs. And a stupid nineteen year old brother who refused to go to college and ate most of our food.

I walked through the garage which we used as a storage space and into what we called a house. It really wasn't much of one. It had two bedrooms, a living room-type space, one bathroom, and a kitchen. There was also a basement but nobody really went down there. That was a room that belonged to Ben, my freak of a brother.

"I'm home!" I called out. "Hey, Meg," my dad answered from the kitchen. Wow! He wasn't drinking for once! That made me laugh. I dropped my backpack next to our shabby couch and sat down to flip through channels on our junk TV, which I had named Ken because it was always broken. Get it? Hardy har har. I know. Terrible, isn't it? Hey, I was 8 when we got it – used.

So I sat there, bored out of my mind, when my mom came in the door. "Hi, honey," she said and kissed me on the forehead. Which made me laugh. Forehead! She rolled her eyes and went to the kitchen, presumably to attempt to make something edible. "What're we eating?" I asked over the noise of pots and pans. "Spaghetti." I smiled and giggled. "At least she can't mess _that _up easily," I said under my breath.

XXX

Dinner started out fine. Ben emerged from the depths of hell, listening to Metallica (ugh) on his Discman so loudly that I could identify what it was. We sat down in little plastic chairs around our little plastic table and began eating our spaghetti. The sauce reminded me of the bloody nose I had had (which had dried up before I got home, thankfully) and I smiled.

The only noise at the table was the buzzing of 'My Apocalypse' and the sound of chewing. Until my father broke the almost-silence. "Meg, Ben, your mother and I have news," he said. I looked up and Ben actually turned down his music to hear. _Are they pregnant? _I thought and then stifled a giggle.

"We've talked it over and decided to move." I bit my lip. There had to be a but. I was right. "But we'd have to use both of your kids' college money." "Why would we move?" I asked, trying to keep a straight face. "I just got a new job offer in Gotham so money wouldn't be a problem anymore," my mom answered with a grin. My brother raised an eyebrow. "We're going to let you two decide, seeing as it's your choice to go to college," she finished.

I took another bite of my so called 'food' (she even messed up spaghetti!) and thought this over with a small smile. Ben seemed to already have made up his mind to go. It didn't take me long to decide, either. "I'm OK with it," I told them after swallowing. They smiled. "Great! We've already told your school we're leaving so I suppose we can start to finish packing," my mom spoke, getting up from the table.

"Wait – how long have you guys been planning this?" I asked. I wouldn't really be leaving much. "About a month. The city has already offered to buy our house for land development," my dad told me. I thought about what they could build here and laughed. Not much. I took my dishes into the kitchen and looked to see that almost everything was in boxes.

"We already sent most of our things to the apartment we'll be renting," my mom said. I jumped. Somehow she had come right up behind me without me noticing. I guess I had been too lost in my thoughts to hear her. "We even packed Lancelot for you." I groaned but inwardly I was smiling. My stuffed bear, Lancelot, would be coming with me.

Yeah. I had been obsessed with the movie Labyrinth for a while. I walked into my room after grabbing my backpack and glanced around. All that was left was a set of clothes, my hair brush and toothbrush, and some books. They all just barely fit in my backpack.

Soon I was ready to go. And we did. That very evening.

XXX

End of chapter one! I hope you liked it! XD

Please leave a comment/question of some sort. Even if it's just one letter...

Oh yeah! Disclaimer! I pretty much only own Megan and her family. And Jake the jerk (who I probably won't even use again)

Thanks for reading!

Sakura


	2. Chapter 2: Moving On

**The Best Medicine**

Chapter 2: Moving On

I had to change this chapter a bit and fix some stuff. It's not much different than before, though.

**XXX**

So, after what seemed like forever, we got to Gotham. My first thought was "woah!" and my second thought was also "woah!!" but with another exclamation point at the end. Ha. So we're driving through the city and giant buildings are surrounding us making me feel as small as an ant. We got to the apartment building that we'd be living in and I gasped. "It's tall," I said. (how stupid a remark was _that_?) It looked like those fancy hotels you see on TV except it wasn't a hotel.

We got inside after parking our dinky little car in the lot underground and checked in at the fancy front desk. The lady who we talked to was named Phylis and wearing waaaay too much makeup. And she was like sixty four. Which was gross. Also, her hair was dyed a brownish-red color and you could totally tell it was fake. I giggled and tried to hide it with a cough. It didn't work too well.

We got a key and headed over to the elevator, lugging our bags with us. We stepped in and my mom pressed the button to go up to the 14th floor. There's no thirteenth. It's like this place is superstitious or something. I mean, seriously. "How can you not have a thirteenth floor?" I wondered aloud. Ben smirked. I glared at him.

**XXX**

My dad opened the door of our new home and we walked in. The first thing I did was... laugh. I know. Big surprise. But it was totally different! Especially the bathrooms which, of course, everybody rushed to right away.

Stupid long car trips.

It was totally different from our previous living space. First of all, there were three bedrooms. There were also two bathrooms, a real kitchen, a living room, and a porch. Haha! It was totally awesome! I immediately claimed a room by dropping my backpack in the middle of the floor. There was already a bed there. And a desk. And a dresser. I even had a closet. So cool! I grinned. My bed was against the far wall and there were two windows there so I could see outside while laying down.

After thoroughly searching through each nook and cranny of my room, I went to explore the rest of our apartment. My parents got the biggest bedroom and Ben took the other one. Sadly, his was right next to mine and that meant being able to hear his stupid music on his stupid boom box. It was still an awesome place, though.

Most of the apartment already had furniture, which was cool because it meant moving less stuff. The only places not carpeted with white fluffiness were the kitchen and bathrooms. They were tiled – with white.

**XXX**

The morning of the next day came really fast. I woke up to the sound of my brother playing music extremely loud at about 9:30. At first I was really confused as to where I was but then I remembered. We moved. "Oh yeah..." I whispered and giggled.

I peered out the window. The sun was bright and the sky was clear, making the buildings reflect blinding light if you looked at them a certain way. I never thought something so polluted and busy could be beautiful but it was. Cities have their own type of beauty, I suppose.

I got up after a while and pulled my outfit out of my backpack and tying my brown hair in a loose ponytail. After quickly getting dressed, I headed towards the kitchen on a quest for food. "'Morning, Megan," my mom greeted me with a kiss. "Hi, mom. What's there to eat here?" I asked as my stomach grumbled to me about being empty. Just then my brother walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Joker," he said, using my idiotic nickname. "Hey, Jerkface," I replied and stuck my tongue out at him. Childish, I know. "We don't have any food yet. So here's a ten. Now go out and buy some breakfast," my mom told me, ignoring our name calling. Yeah. She was like that. "Dad's still sleeping off a hangover." Oh great. Drinking again already. I forced myself not to grin and headed out the door with a wave.

Taking the stairs down to the first floor, I thought about what I could do today. The possibilities were endless. I chuckled at the thought. "Breakfast first," I told myself as I reached the door that said '1' on it.

I asked for a map of the city from Phylis, who, thankfully, was wearing less makeup than yesterday, and walked out onto the sidewalk. People were hurrying this way and that. Cars were honking. Lights were flashing. I was almost overwhelmed by all the things going on but quickly got used to it. Gotham isn't so bad, I realized, once you get used to it.

Walking around, I spotted a McDonald's and laughed. That place was something familiar. I crossed the street at a stoplight and opened the yellow and red door. I could smell the grease before I got even close to the counter. A teenage boy with an acne problem was standing at a cash register looking bored. I walked up and pulled out the crumpled up ten dollar bill from a pocket in my jeans. "What can I get for you, ma'am," he asked. I giggled. He had called me ma'am. "I'll have an Egg McMuffin and a small McCoke," I told him and grinned. He gave me a weird look and then filled my order.

**XXX**

After eating, I headed back to my new apartment. When I got there I stared. The main entrance was surrounded by police cars. I laughed and went in through the side door. "Stupid police people," I mumbled and laughed again.

Phylis was gone from her place at the front desk and her papers were scattered around the floor. I picked up the pace, starting to worry about my family. I ran up most of the stairs two at a time, adrenaline fueling my speed. I reached the door after what seemed like forever and turned the handle. It opened – it was unlocked. My family always locked the door. Always. "What is going on?" I wondered softly.

I stepped quietly inside and left the door open – just in case I needed to make a quick escape. What I saw made me gasp. The whole place was trashed. I stepped into the kitchen and tried hard not to laugh but I couldn't help letting out giggle. "Crap," I whispered. Blood was all over the pace and slumped against a wall was the rest of my family. Dead. Their throats had been slit.

**XXX**

I couldn't help it. I started laughing. I laughed so hard I cried which only made me laugh some more. Because of that, I didn't notice the man sneaking up behind me until he grabbed me and put a knife to my throat. I gasped. "Interesting," a voice said, coming from behind me. It belonged to the knife-holder. "I kill your family and you laugh." "Wow," I said softly as the truth of what had happened hit me. My parents and my brother were both dead. A tear slid down my cheek and I bit my lip, determined not to cry in front of this murderer.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked quietly. I shook my head. The man turn me around to face him, keeping a tight grip on me, tilted my chin up. I blinked but didn't flinch. He looked like a strange clown. "People call me the Joker," he said. I burst out laughing and didn't stop until he pressed the knife harder into my throat.

I struggled to keep a straight face. "It's just that that was my nickname," I swallowed, taking a deep breath. "At my old school," I finished.

What came next was unexpected. The Joker grinned, laughed, and knocked me unconscious with a blow to the face. I ended up getting a bloody nose.

**XXX**

I opened my eyes who knows how much later and the first thing I saw was... nothing. I thought I had gone blind and giggled. Then a dim light flickered on and my assumption was proved false.

I was sitting in a chair at a metal table. Across from me was the Joker wearing his clown makeup. His face was painted white, his eyes black, and his mouth red. He had two long scars stretching from his mouth across his face, also painted red. The whole look was kinda creepy and I thought about the Holocaust to keep from laughing. See? Laughing problem.

I tried to look anywhere other than the scars on his face but my eyes kept wandering back to them. I knew he could tell. It startled me when he spoke. "Well, well. Look who's finally up and about." I didn't say anything. "Hmmm... quiet, aren't you?" It was a rhetorical question. Still, I couldn't help smiling. Rhetorical! Who came up with that word?

"Do you wanna know how I got these scars?" Joker asked suddenly and my brown eyes snapped up to lock with his. "It all started out when I was a child. A little younger than you," he began. I kept my eyes on his.

"Like you, my father was a drinker."

I licked my lips, waiting for him to continue.

"One night, he comes home, drunk. But this time, it's different. You see, this night, he goes off crazier then usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself." He leaned closer across the table.

"He doesn't like that. Not. One. Bit. So, me watching, he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. He turns to me and he says "Why so serious?" He comes at _me_ with the knife. "Why so serious?!" Sticks the blade in my mouth. "Let's put a smile on that face!" And..." the Joker paused.

My eyes widened as he took out a knife and placed it against my pale skin.

"Why so serious?" he said to me and, laughing, drew the blade across both my cheeks - just hard enough to draw blood but still hard enough to cause pain. I flinched. He grinned and turned out the light. I was blind once more and I giggled as I heard a door close causing a sharp pain in my cheeks as I grinned.

**XXX**

And that concludes the end of chapter two! Please please please tell me what you think of it! It would really help me to know. And it's motivation to write a third chapter. Don't be lazy and close this window when you're done reading. Say something! I love reviews! They make me smile...

I used a quote from the Dark Knight movie but I also changed it just a bit...

Thanks for reading!

Sakura


	3. Chapter 3: Conversations and Knives

**The Best Medicine**

_Chapter 3: Conversations and Knives_

Sakura: Just so you all know, I wrote this chapter at 1:00AM last night.

Joker: (cough) insomnia (cough)

Meg/Sakura: Shut up!

Sakura: You certainly weren't helping me sleep, Joker.

Joker: ...

Meg: We just wanted to apologize ahead of time if you think it's crap.

Sakura: So here's chapter three!

Meg: Enjoy!

**XXX**

The next time I opened my eyes, I knew I wasn't blind. I also knew I was in a different room. This one had a mattress, which I had been laying on, and the walls weren't peeling. After staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, I sat up to take a better look around. There was a door! And a chair off to one side near a desk. That was pretty much it other than a tray of 'food' next to my bed. Cold toast and a glass of water. How long had it been since I'd last eaten? I didn't even know what day it was...

Taking a bite of my food, I thought over my situation. Held captive in a strange room by a strange man. What an understatement. I giggled and then gasped, almost choking on my food. "Fuck," I swore as I remember the cuts on my cheeks, slightly reopened from laughing. I looked at my reflection in the glass. I now had a smile almost identical to Joker's. Great.

**XXX**

I had just finished my poor excuse for a meal when a knock on the door made me jump. "You keep me locked up and yet you bother to knock?" I spoke as the Joker entered the room. He raised an eyebrow at me and sat in the chair. I stayed sitting on my crappy mattress. We were like that for what seemed to be hours but was probably only minutes. I was the one to finally break the silence. "What do you want?" I asked, trying to keep from sounding nervous. "I just came to talk," he said quietly.

"About?"

"What to do with you."

I gulped. This couldn't be good.

"I can't just keep you here," he explained.

"You could let me go..."

"No."

I sighed and looked down at my hands. I could feel his eyes on me.

"How are you at fighting?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"I know a bit of karate and I'm ok with knives," I told him.

I looked back up at him. He was smiling strangely at me, and there was something in his eyes I couldn't read.

"Hmmm. Follow me."

Opening the door, we walked out. He led me quickly down a long hallway and we went in another room. "Owww..." I had smiled again but I couldn't help it. The Joker looked at me, a small smirk on his face. A bead of warm blood trickled down my chin and I wiped it away with the back of my hand as I looked around. The whole place shined with metal. There were all sorts of weapons everywhere. Mostly knives but I saw some guns and even a random samurai sword. I walked over to see it but he pulled me back roughly. "You don't get to touch that," he whispered in my ear. Instead, I got to touch some knives.

**XXX**

A million questions were running through my mind as I held the knife the Joker had thrown to me. I tested it on my finger and it drew blood. I licked it off.

"Get ready," he said and I looked up. He was standing about two feet away from me with his own knife drawn. My stomach clenched.

"Go!"

I grinned, ignoring the pain it caused me, and nervously stood my ground. _Let your opponent make the first move,_ I remembered my dad telling me. Before he had become an alcoholic, he had taught me how to use knives. I had grown up with strange parents...

Joker started off with a step to the side and I turned to face him, trying to hold my right hand steady. He was grinning, watching me carefully to see what I would do when he lunged, aiming for my chest. I stepped back and slashed at his arm. He caught my knife hand as I aimed a kick at him. Laughing, he struck again, this time nicking me on the left shoulder. _Never panic._ I watched him, trying to find a pattern in his movements. After about half a minute, I realized there wasn't one. This worried me slightly but I tried not to think about it. _Don't think too hard. Just do. _I did. I came towards him with a thrust. He easily dodged me, pushing me down onto my back. I rolled to my feet, ready to defend myself, but it was too late. My knife was stolen and put against my throat. "You win," I said glumly. I hadn't even touched him.

Turning me around, the Joker pressed the blade to my cheeks again and cut in the same spot, this time just a bit deeper. I tried to pull away. "Every time you loose, I will cut you again." He let me go and I tried to punch him in the face but he caught my arm, grinning, and laughed.

"Always be prepared," he said, handing me back the slightly bloody knife.

"Keep it," he glanced at me.

I stuck it in my pocket.

"You could use some work," he told me. "We'll continue tomorrow."

I was taken back to my room and I heard the click of a lock as I went to sit in the chair. "He's really good," I whispered in awe, blood still wet on my face.

**XXX**

Sakura: We're really sorry that the chapter was so short...

Joker: But we'd like to thank all of you out there who are reading. And those who've reviewed. And the people who favorited this fanfiction. Hurray... (sarcasm)

Meg: Those people include **Nyghtdonna**, **candysweets**, **KayleeLovesMerder**, and **will s b** - thanks, guys! We love you!

Joker: You forgot the disclaimer. Again.

Sakura: Oh... Well, I don't own Joker. But I do own Meg.

Meg: If you want to use me in a story, you'll have to get permission!

Joker: Or... (pulls out knife and laughs)

Sakura/Meg: PUT THAT THING AWAY!

Joker: (glares)

Meg: Anyway, please leave some replies.

Sakura: Thanks for reading! I'll hug you if you reply...

Joker: Enough with the love! (leaves)

Sakura/Meg: ...


	4. Chapter 4: Why?

**The Best Medicine**

_Chapter 4: Why?_

Sakura: Hey, guys! Guess what? I slept last night!

Meg: And...

Joker: We have a special guest star! Who just broke out of an asylum - again!

Sakura/Meg: Introducing... (drum roll)

Sakura: Dr. Hannibal Lecter!

Dr. Lecter: (walks in) Thank you, Sakura. And how are you all?

Sakura: I'm fine, thanks.

Meg: Well my face hurts but other than that, I'm good, too!

Joker: Hey. Long time no see!

Meg: Wait... you guys know each other?

Joker/Lecter: ...Yes.

Meg: ... No comment.

Sakura: Anyway! We have a fourth chapter here!

**XXX**

I woke up later (I didn't know the day or time) to a knock on the door and yawned. The cuts bled again. I rolled over, probably getting blood on the mattress. Another knock on the door. "Just five more minutes," I grumbled.

The Joker walked into my room and sat down on the chair again. Suddenly, without thinking, I blurted out the question that had been circling around in my mind like a shark, waiting to attack. "Why me?" I wondered and then cringed slightly. Not the best way to start off the day, right?

"_Because_ you're... special," Joker replied. I giggled and sucked in a breath. _No laughing,_ I told myself strictly. But it was funny! "Sorry. It's just that my old choir teacher was having us sing a song from High School Musical, which is really dumb by the way, and he was like 'I hate the whole thing because all it's about is telling you how you're special and you get enough of that from your parents'," I explained and giggled again. "Ouch..." I whispered.

**XXX**

He waited for me to finish and then stood up. "I've decided to teach you some of what I know," he told me casually as he opened the door. My eyes widened and a billion thoughts rushed into my head like a tap suddenly turning on. _Why isn't he being evil?_ I wondered as I followed him into the shiny weapons room again.

I took out my knife and braced myself, ready to fight, and saw he had done the same. He watched me with a grin. "Your stance is all wrong," he pointed out and walked towards me. "Your back leg is too far out and your arm is too low," he said, moving me to the correct position. "Hold the blade like this," he showed me as I fixed my grip. "Now we'll start again."

**XXX**

We fought. I lost and was cut. He laughed as I moaned and put my hands to my face. "If you keep that up, I'll die from loss of blood," I told him through clenched teeth. He just grinned and cleaned his knife. Next he asked me to show him what I had learned in karate. It wasn't much but I showed him anyway, regardless of the pain in my cheeks.

It had been my favorite class in school and I had gotten an A each quarter. "Ok," he said after about five minutes, "It's good enough." "Can I go wash my face?" I asked quietly, worried about how the Joker would respond. He smiled slightly and licked his lips. He did that a lot. "Come with me," he spoke and he showed me another door. I went through it.

**XXX**

It was a bathroom. The first thing I did was walk right to the sink and look at my reflection in the mirror. What I saw made me cringe. It was worse than I had thought. The bottom part of my face was smeared with blood and I knew the cuts on my cheeks would leave scars.

Scars just like his.

Turning on the faucet, I splashed water on my face, cleaning it as best as I could while trying to ignore the pain it caused me. My blood tinged the water pink as it ran down the drain. My face dripping, I walked back out into the room. The Joker was examining his knife with his back turned to me. Creeping up on him, I took my own knife out and was about to stab him when he turned around and caught my arm. Grabbing the other, he pinned me against the wall with my arms above my head. Grinning, I kneed him in the stomach. He let me go and chuckled, catching his breath.

"Ha. I deserved that, didn't I," he grinned and looked me in the face. I grinned, even though my cheeks were bleeding again. "You should to see the rest of this place," he told me. Again, I wondered why he was being so... nice.

**XXX**

We walked quickly into the hallway again and he opened the door on the other side. Into a room with more doors. Through the door on the right. Into a small kitchen. Back to the other room. Through the door on the left. A lab/game room. Back again. Through the center door and up a staircase. Another bathroom and another bedroom. A third door – Joker's room. Not allowed in, of course. Down the stairs, through the doors, back to my boring room.

"There's your tour," he told me as we sat back down. I burst into laughter even though it hurt. He looked at me. "What's the date?" I asked between giggles. "It's ...um... the seventeenth of September." My eyes widened and I started laughing all over again, falling onto the floor. He looked confused. "I... turned sixteen... two... days ago," I choked out, tears running down my face, stinging the cuts on my cheeks.

"I feel old now," I whined after calming down a bit. Joker raised an eyebrow and then said, "Happy birthday to someone I know very little about except that two days ago was your birthday," he grinned, laughing strangely. "Why aren't you being evil?" I asked suddenly. He rolled his eyes. "Because I don't _want_ to be right now," he said dryly, giving me a look. I snorted.

Today was turning out to be very strange.

**XXX**

Sakura: Again, I'm sorry the chapter is short. I had writers block...

Meg: On another note, how do you guys know each other?

Lecter: For a while we were both being kept in the same asylum. Our cells were next to each other.

Joker: Good times. (laughs)

Sakura: OK then... So, how did you break out _this_ time, Dr. Lecter?

Lecter: I picked the lock while the guards weren't looking and then shot them with one of their guns. Then I peeled the other guy's face off and wore it and his uniform to disguise myself. I walked out without anyone watching. (smiles)

Meg: um...

Sakura: That was totally genius!

Lecter: Thank you.

Joker: If you don't review, Lecter and I will find you and-

Sakura: (punches Joker to shut him up)

Meg: What he _meant _ to say was 'Please kindly review this chapter because if you do, I will find you and give you a hug.'

Joker: I did _not_ say that! (glares at Meg and Sakura)

Lecter: Thank you all for reading. Now I must take my leave before I am found. (walks off)

Sakura: Thanks for joining us, Dr.! And you guys out there, thanks for checking up on this fanfic! We love you all! (hearts)


	5. Chapter 5: What Am I Becoming?

The Best Medicine

_Chapter 5: What Am I Becoming?_

Sakura: Hello to you all! I'm sorry I haven't posted in such a while. You see, I seem to have no free time these days. I'll try to get at least one chapter up each week.

Joker: Her life is busy at the moment.

Sakura: So yeah. I'm writing when I can! (It's all broken up and crappy.)

Meg: She'll keep posting ASAP, so don't worry.

Joker: Here's chapter five...

XXX

I opened my eyes and felt oddly rested for once. Looking over, I noticed the room was empty. Empty of the Joker. Empty of food. My stomach ached from hunger and I wondered how long I'd slept. It was odd the Joker hadn't woken me yet. I waited, laying on my mattress, for a knock on the door. None came. After a while, I stood up and stretched, yawning. I walked over to the door and opened it. That was odd. It wasn't locked. "Is this some sort of trick?" I whispered into the air. No one was there to hear me. I turned right and opened the door at the end of the hallway that led to the other doors. Turning right again, I entered into the kitchen. There was a fridge against one wall. Opening it, I grabbed the first thing I saw. It was a yogurt. I shrugged and opened it, attempting to eat it without a spoon. I put the empty container on the counter near the fridge when I was done and went back out the door. Heading to the door on the left, I went into the lab.

XXX

It was a big room full of electronic equipment, books, experiments in progress, and more. I spotted an xbox 360 and walked to it, smiling. I had given up on trying not to show happiness. It was impossible. Running my hands over the smooth sides, I turned it on. Soul Caliber IV. I was pretty good at fighting games. We had an arcade near our old house and I spent most of my money there. Not to say I had much. Still, I played these kinds of things a lot. "Yes!" I shouted as I unlocked a new weapon and then began to play again. After a third round, I heard a low laugh and whirled around to find the face of the Joker only a few inches from mine. I gasped and had the sudden strange urge to kiss him. "I see you've made yourself at home," he spoke in a dangerous whisper. _This is bad,_ I thought to myself. My heart started to race. He grinned and laughed again, making me wince, and then took a step back from me as if to size me up. A song from Sweeney Todd started playing in my head and I giggled. How appropriate. "I'm r-really s-sorry!" I stuttered. "You were bound to break out sometime," he said nonchalantly with a shrug. I frowned slightly. "You keep confusing me. Can't you make some sense sometime?" I asked. He laughed. "Of course, not!" "I thought you might say that." The Joker smiled and picked up another controller. He motioned for me to join him. We played together and he beat me every time. I really got into it, but regardless of what I did, I still got my ass kicked.

XXX

We ate dinner – pancakes! – after we finished playing xbox. I knew it was dinner because the sky was growing darker. "Why aren't you making me practice?" I asked. "It's the weekend now. Saturday," he told me. I frowned slightly. That didn't make sense. I couldn't have been there for a week! He grinned at my confused look and poured maple syrup on his pancakes. "So, what do you normally do on weekends?" I said, trying to make conversation. I hated uncomfortable silences. He shrugged. I assumed that meant he did whatever. There was something we had in common. I giggled. My moods seemed to be shifting crazily. I sighed and continued eating, thinking about my time there. "These pancakes are awesome! You can cook really well..." I trailed off when he stared at me with an odd expression. I couldn't read his face very well but he looked amused. Well, as long as he wasn't angry, I was fine. The kitchen was surprisingly clean. Nothing like my old house. I felt a pang of homesickness and I remembered my mom. She had usually been nice to me, unlike the rest of my family. I guess their deaths were starting to get to me now. I sighed again and looked at my plate, feeling the eyes of the Joker on me. I giggled and stabbed my pancake. "Die, pancake! Die!" I yelled and then blushed, feeling stupid and immature. He laughed and asked me, "Did you kill it?" I smiled at him and nodded, chewing happily. It was so weird to be comfortable eating with an evil man who killed people for fun. I tried not to keep a straight face and failed. "I'm full," I announced a few minutes later and pushed my plate away from me. He had finished before me so he took my plate away and put it in the sink. "Come on. Pick a movie to watch," he said as he walked out the door and into the lab. I skipped after him and ran to a shelf of dvds and searched through them. "I got one," I called out. I had picked The Rocky Horror Picture Show. "It's like my most favoritest movie ever!" I exclaimed.

XXX

Watching this movie with the Joker was a total new experience for me. He shouted out tons of Audience Participation lines I had never heard before. I laughed so hard I had tears ran from my eyes. We even danced along to the Time Warp (the most awesome song/dance thing EVER!). By the end of the movie, I had a stomach ache from laughing and I had almost choked on the popcorn he had made us. It had been the strangest ice-breaker on Earth. And the best night of my life – so far...

XXX

I went back to my room and sadness slowly began to seep into my heart. It had been a long time since I'd cried from sorrow and it all seemed to burst out of me in quiet sobs. I fell asleep with tears on my face and dreamed. In my dream, the world was too colorful – everything hurt to look at. Then it turned into a musical and people were being killed with straight razors and having their eyes being pecked out by crows. The Joker came and grabbed my hand to take me away into a theater. Sweeney Todd was being performed and blood was everywhere on the stage. Then the Joker became Sweeney and came at me with a razor. I saw it shine in the bright lights of the stage before he slashed at my throat. I woke up screaming and began to cry again. "I miss you, Mom," I whispered into the dark. I wouldn't admit it in front of anybody, but I really _had_ cared about my poor excuse for a family. Taking a deep breath, I calmed down a bit. "Meg?" I heard a rough voice from across the room. The voice made me start to cry all over again. I heard footsteps coming towards me in the dark and I shied away towards the wall. I couldn't see him but I knew he was right near me. Feeling a hand on my back, I gasped. Moving to the foot of my bed, I punched the space where I thought the Joker was and made contact with his shoulder. He didn't move or make a sound, just sat there, probably smiling. I put my head in my hands and trembled both out of fear and exhaustion. Crying has always made me tired and I was already worn out, but now I had punched the Joker! I thought he would stab me or hit me or something. Instead, he started to speak. "Shhhh, Megan, shhhh," he said and took my hand. I bit my lip and took another deep breath, calming down again. My voice was shaky and hoarse when I spoke. "I'll be OK," I told him.

XXX

Sakura: Well there's a chapter full of emotions... probably because I've been all moody lately

Meg: ...

Sakura: Sorry, Meg!

Joker: At least you let her eat pancakes.

Sakura: Yeah, pancakes help.

Meg: And Rocky Horror is cool. So is Sweeney Todd – unless you're getting killed.

Joker: Sorry if you guys think I'm out of character... I'm not. I'm just being... nicer?

Sakura: Thank you for reading! Please review...


	6. Chapter 6: Dancing in the Rain

The Best Medicine

Chapter 6: Dancing in the Rain

Sakura: I'm writing this as fast as I can because I'm going on vacation starting Wednesday! I really don't want to go but I have to. Oh, well. I'll be writing chapter seven while I'm away and hopefully be able to post it when I get back.

Meg: This chapter is a lot less sad. Yay!

Joker: Yup.

Sakura: Now read chapter six!!

XXX

I hadn't slept for the rest of the night. I had stared at the ceiling, thinking, until the sun came up and I heard a knock on the door. "Come in," I mumbled, dazed. The Joker walked in with a tray of food and put it on the floor next to me. "Morning," he said with a crooked grin. I smiled slightly and sat up to eat breakfast. Oatmeal with raisins and a glass of apple juice. I laughed and took a bite. It was good – I hadn't had oatmeal for a long time. I sighed. Last night had been hard for me. I hadn't slept much at all and my eyes hurt from crying. Still, I was determined to make the best of my day. "I'm not gonna let myself cry today," I said stubbornly. The Joker chuckled and left, leaving the door open. "I guess I'm free again today," I spoke, finishing my food.

XXX

I walked to the kitchen and looked out the window. The sky was clear but there were storm clouds on the horizon. That meant rain! I grinned. Rain made me happy. The sound calmed me and when it stopped, the world looked fresh and bright. I hummed a tune as I skipped to the weapon room. Sitting in the middle of the floor, I closed my eyes and breathed. (It might sound dorky but I'm all into the supernatural/spiritual stuff.) Falling into a rhythm, I sent roots down from my feet into the ground. Through water, air, fire, earth, and straight to the core. Pulling up energy into my body, I lay down on my back and relaxed into the floor. I stayed like this for almost half an hour before I sat up and opened my eyes. I felt much better and, smiling, I walked over to a wall of knives. Taking one down, I looked at it carefully. I could see myself in the reflection of the blade. Taking out my own knife, I compared the two. They were the same. Good. Walking back to the center of the room, I held a knife in each hand. Duel blades. This was difficult for me but I had to learn to use both hands so I started with the basics. Blocking and lunges. I was in the middle of stepping forward when a hand grabbed my shoulder. Whipping around, I lunged at the attacker, ready to fight. It was the Joker. "Shit," I swore quietly. "Sorry... I didn't know it was you. I was kinda 'in the zone'," I explained. He laughed and took the knife from my left hand, leaving me with the one he had given me before. I shrugged and walked to the bathroom. The wounds on my cheeks were healing nicely – if you could call it that. They would leave scars. Still, they weren't infected. That was good. I traced the cuts with my fingers. The face I saw in the mirror didn't look like mine. The person looking back at me was pale. Her eyes were bloodshot from tears and her cheeks were slit. "This isn't me," I whispered. Even as my breath fogged the glass, hiding my reflection, I knew the person I had seen was myself. I had changed a lot over little more than a week. "Come on, Meg. You can stare at yourself later. We have things to do," the Joker said from the other room. I turned away from the mirror and followed him into the electronics room.

XXX

Once inside, he took me over to the back walls. There was a door to one side that I hadn't seen before. He opened it and I gasped. It led to a small but beautiful courtyard-garden. It was about the size of the weapon room but unbelievably pretty. A bench had been put against one of the walls that surrounded the place. I went over to it and sat there. The Joker walked back inside, keeping the door open for me but leaving me alone. I closed my eyes and listened to the noises around me. I heard a sparrow chirping and bees buzzing around. There was a squirrel chattering away on the roof. I grinned as I rested, forgetting for the moment that I was being held prisoner by a strange, dangerous man.

XXX

My eyes snapped open as I felt something wet fall on my face. It was water. I had fallen asleep and the sun had disappeared behind clouds. Another drop fell on me. Soon, more were falling. It began to rain. I grinned and stood up, stretching. The rain was coming down in sheets and my hair was soon soaked, along with my clothes. I laughed, not caring, and twirled in a circle. I danced to the sound of the storm, unaware that the Joker was watching me from a window.

XXX

Sakura: Aaaaah! Such a short chapter! :(

Meg: I'm all wet now...

Joker: You could have written more.

Sakura: No I couldn't! I'm busy tonight and tomorrow an dI have to post a chapter before I leave! So shut up!

Joker: Jeez...

Sakura: Thanks for those of you who reviewed and read. I heart you all!!


	7. Chapter 7: Clothes

**The Best Medicine**

_Chapter 7: Clothes_

Sakura: Ok. I'm really really sorry I haven't posted a chapter in such a long time and that this is such a short one but I was on vacation and now I have school and play rehearsal and circus and EVERYTHING IS OUT OF CONTROL!

Meg: Calm down, Sakura.

Sakura: Sorry... I'm just kinda overwhelmed. The Joker has decided not to come to our chat today.

Meg: He's busy.

Sakura: And we're not really sure if that's good or bad...

**XXX**

When I walked inside, I was soaked to my underwear and shivering. I closed the door quietly and made my way into the kitchen, leaving a trail of water behind me. Sitting in a chair at the table, I hummed songs from Song For a New World, strangely happy even though my lips were blue. The Joker walked in, took one look at me, and walked back out. He came back with clothes for me and dropped them into my lap. I sat in the chair, grinning, humming to myself and rocking back and forth. I didn't notice when he lifted me up and brought me into my room until he dropped me on my mattress. I snapped back to reality with a thump. I looked up to see the door slam shut and flinched. Sighing, I stood up and looked at the pile of clothes I had been given. "Well, he was kind enough to give me these," I said softly. A sweatshirt and a pair of jeans.

**XXX**

I walked back out of my room in the new clothes that were obscenely big on me and put my wet ones in the bathroom. Then I went off to look for the Joker. He wasn't in the kitchen or the electronics room. I hadn't seen him in the weapon room, either. That meant he had to be upstairs. I walked slowly up the steps to the second floor with a small smile on my face, trailing my hand along the railing. I opened the bathroom door. Nobody. I searched the spare bedroom. Empty. That left only his room left. I took a deep breath and knocked on his door. No answer. "Hello?" I called out. Still no answer. I reached to open the door and found it was unlocked. I walked in but didn't see him. "Where is he?" I wondered aloud. I walked around the room, taking everything in. At first, it looked incredibly messy and chaotic until I looked closer. It was actually very organized, just in a confusing way. I sat on the edge of his bed. My heart suddenly felt heavy and I sighed, closing my eyes. My thoughts wandered, traveling on a breeze of loneliness. I was lost in my own world until I felt a knife press against my throat and a hand grab a fistful of my hair. My eyes snapped wide open to find the Joker's face inches from mine, his eyes burning with fury.

**XXX**

Sakura: Sorry to stop right there!

Meg: She had to for various reasons.

Sakura: One of them being that I have homework to do and I have to post this chapter. Another one being hat I want to keep the suspense even though I hate to leave off in the middle of something like that.

Meg: So stay tuned to find out what happens!

Sakura: Please also leave a review. They make me happy and right now life is depressing...

Meg: Cheer her up and get her to write more at the same time! Yay!

Sakura: Alright. So long for now. I'll post another chapter ASAP. Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8: Dangerous

Chapter 8: Dangerous

Sakura: Ok. I know I haven't posted in forever but try taking all honors classes, having circus, play rehearsals, chores, an injured wrist, and more all at the same time. It's really tough.

Meg: We have good news, though!

Sakura: Yes! We have a Beta! XD She's my friend Eva and she's awesome.

Joker: Now on with the show!

XXX

I sat still, frozen to the bed, not daring to move a muscle, caught in the Joker's fiery gaze. His eyes were full of hatred that made me cringe on the inside. I'm not sure what exactly happened next but I found myself leaning towards him and pressing my lips against his scarred ones. At first he seemed shocked but he soon pulled himself together and shoved me off the bed, snarling. I stared back in fear as he grabbed me cruelly by the arm and dragged me back to my room. I was shocked - both at him and myself. Throwing me down on my mattress, he grabbed a fistful of my hair and forced me head back, exposing my face. I knew what he was going to do next. I knew it, and yet, it still came as a surprise to me. He stuck his knife in my mouth and slowly, painfully, carved a Chelsea grin into my already scarred face. It seemed to take an eternity, and when he finally finished, he slammed my head against the wall and left me there, bleeding.

XXX

I must have been knocked out for a while because when I came to, my cheeks were throbbing but stitched up. I felt terrible but at least I was no longer bleeding. Standing up, I was hit with a dizzy spell and bent over, heaving. I wiped my mouth as I went to open the door only to find I was still locked in. Numbly I walked back to my bed and lay on my back staring at the ceiling. I was a mess and now my room smelled bad. I had thrown up blood. Heavy sobs wracked my body but no tears came. I was too tired and thirsty to cry. I quickly fell back to sleep.

Sleep gave me no comfort. My dreams were full of monsters. Creatures with bloody grins. Giant spiders. A headless ghost that kept chasing me. Rivers of blood that sucked me under. Gray skies. Laughing ravens with red eyes. Shadows swarmed my dreams. I woke up screaming, covered in sweat . I only stopped screaming when I choked on blood from my cheeks tearing open. Then I sat coughing and gasping like a fish out of water, afraid to close my eyes because of what I would see.

XXX

I had just started to think about sleeping again when the door opened and the Joker walked in. He was carrying a plate of food and a glass of water along with a grocery bag. His face was blank as he looked at me. I sat still, scared of what he might do to me. He set down the meal at my feet and put the bag on my mattress. I stared down at my hands. They were shaking and I tried to still them. The Joker went and sat in his usual chair. It felt just like the first day in that room. I let out a shaky breath. "I'm really sorry," I muttered. He raised an eyebrow. "Let's see how your face is doing," he said and walked over to me. He tilted my head up and examined his work. I cringed as I saw him pull out a needle and thread and braced myself for more pain.

I wasn't disappointed. I clenched my hands into fists as the Joker pulled out the old sutures and then pushed a needle through my cheeks, replacing them with new ones. He ignored my whimpers of pain, concentrated as he was on threading my sliced cheeks closed. It seemed to take forever and by the end blood was dripping down my face in warm rivulets. He wiped off my cheeks and then sat next to me silently. I was the one to break the silence.

"I... I don't know how that happened," I whispered. My voice sounded strange from talking with stitches in my cheeks.

He sighed and pushed the mysterious bag he had brought with him towards me. I peeked inside, unsure of what to expect. Knowing him, it could have been a pony. But it wasn't. It was my stuffed bear Lancelot! I gasped and my face twinged but I ignored it, to shocked by the sudden appearance of my little friend. I set him gently beside me after giving him a big hug and looked deeper in the bag. Clothes, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a hair brush, and oddly enough, makeup. I laughed at that and dumped it all on my bed. I didn't know what to say. I was so thankful. _I don't deserve all this... especially after what I did,_ I thought. He ruffled my hair and then walked out, closing the door behind him. "Mood swings much?" I grumbled and laughed. I ran to the bathroom with my makeup and new clothes to play dress-up. _Maybe this isn't so bad after all._

XXX

Sakura: Sorry for the crappy update. And venting... I'll post another chapter soon!

Meg: This story is becoming very confusing.

Sakura: So is my life!

Joker: And now it's time to thank our reviewers!

Meg: They include **candysweets**, **RogueOnFire**, **KayleeLovesMERDER**, **Aviarianna O Lorien**, **Lenquo**, and anybody else who we didn't mention. Thank you all!

Sakura: And by the way, for all you Jews out there – and others too – shana tova tikateivu!


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